


Break (Regressuary Day 5)

by mcschnuggles



Series: Schnugg's Regressuary 2019 [5]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Caregiver!Marinette, Gen, Non-Sexual Age Play, Regressing!Adrien
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-07
Updated: 2019-02-07
Packaged: 2019-10-23 20:57:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17690804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcschnuggles/pseuds/mcschnuggles
Summary: Prompt: Character A is falling apart from stress but refuses to regress. Character B just wants to help.Adrien's been bottling up his stress for weeks. It's no surprise that he finally breaks.





	Break (Regressuary Day 5)

**Author's Note:**

> Not my best work, but I did want to dip my toes into this fandom

            A break was imminent.

Even Adrien knew it was going to happen, days before it happened.

            He just wishes his body could pick a better time to crack.

            It starts the second he sees the newest person Hawkmoth has akumatized, because the woman is blonde and petite. If he blinks, she almost looks like his mother.

            Crack.

            He tries not to think about that during the fight, tries to squeeze his eyes shut whenever he’s forced to swing his staff at her. He tries his hardest to miss. The last thing he wants to do is hurt her.

            Ladybug scolds him, telling him to get his head in the game, and each time is a subsequent crack in his façade. Ladybug’s opinion means more to him than anything, so to have her so mad at him is crushing. But on the other hand, he can never explain it to her. How would he even start? “I regress to cope with the childhood I never got.” Please. That was just begging for sympathy.

            For most of the fight, he hangs back, trying to stay out of Ladybug’s way as she goes toe-to-toe with the akumatized woman. From what Adrien can put together, her powers are based around the weather. Adrien just hopes Ladybug can sort out this mess before she inflicts too much damage on Paris.

            The woman who looks far too much like his mother falls over the edge, dragging Ladybug with her. They both disappear over the side, and Adrien is too close in headspace to think rationally.

            Break.

            Adrien doesn’t burst into tears. No, it’s more like he crumbles. The tears roll down his face, and he’s too exhausted to even sob.

            “Cat Noir!” Ladybug is beside him in seconds. He doesn’t know how she got here so fast, but seeing how the storm clouds are gone, she must’ve taken care of the akuma and already set things back to normal. Understandable. He’s already losing his grip.

            She kneels in front of him, demanding her attention. Gosh, her blue eyes are so beautiful. At least she can’t see how puffy his eyes are from behind his mask.

            “What happened?” she asks. “Are you hurt?”

            He’s losing himself. He can’t help it. All he can do is cry a little harder.

            Everything comes flooding back to him, every negative thought he’s tried to keep shoved down. The anniversary of his mom’s death. Failing that math test. His dad lecturing him for not practicing piano enough. All the extra modeling work. The nightmares. The sleepless nights. The fight with Chloe. Everything.

            Ladybug moves in to hug him, and that’s when he completely falls apart. He meets her halfway, throwing his arms around her neck and refusing to let go. Despite her clear confusion, she hugs him back, and that makes him more unwilling to let go.

            His ring beeps a warning, but he’s in too deep to care.

            Ladybug tries to pull back. The rational part of his mind knows she’s trying to give him some privacy, but privacy is the last thing he cares about. He’s de-transform on live television if it just meant all the noise and bad things would just _stop_. “Cat Noir, you’re about to de-transform.”

            “I don’t care.” He’s gasping for breath between sobs, barely able to talk. “Don’t let go. Please don’t let go.” He knows the second his transformation wears off, because Plagg lands on his shoulder, offering comfort in one of the few ways he knows how.

            Ladybug goes tense. “Adrien?”

            “I’m sorry.” Adrien gasps for air that just won’t come. She knows him. Of course she knows him. He’s a model. It’s as much of a relief as it is another cause for anxiety. “I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry.”

            Ladybug shushes him. “It’s okay. Let’s get you home, okay?”

            He tucks his face into her neck and tries to focus on his breathing, to no avail. It feels like only a few moments before she deposits him onto his bed.

            Rubbing his face, he dares a glance up. She’s popping her back. Not shocking. That couldn’t have been easy on her to carry him. He doesn’t deserve her.

            He collapses onto his bed, too distraught to even care how he’s humiliating himself in front of his only crush. He gropes for Gabrielle, his stuffed cat with a pink ribbon tied around her neck. He hugs it close, immediately feeling his heart rate slow. More tears leak from the corner of his eyes. He’s tired. He’s so, so tired.

            Ladybug sits beside him. Her eyes are confused, cautious. “That’s a nice kitty, Adrien.”

            “Thanks,” he mumbles. He tightens his hold. “I’m sorry.”

            “It’s okay,” she soothes. She reaches forward, then hesitates, but seeing the way his face crumbles, she goes through with her initial plan and strokes his hair. “Does this happen often?”

            He almost melts under her touch. Even with the gloves, her touch is so soft. He’d give anything for her to cuddle him. “Couldn’t take it anymore.”

            “I understand.” She combs her fingers through his hair, tracing her way down to the nape of his neck. “Well, I’m here if you need me.”

            He dares a glance up. Every part of his rational brain is screaming at him to run and hide. He broke the biggest rule. She knows his identity. Shouldn’t that mean he doesn’t get to be a superhero anymore? “Really?”

            “I support my partner no matter what.” She leans in and presses a kiss to his cheek. “We’ll talk about this soon, okay? For now, get some rest.”

            “Will you come back tomorrow?” His voice is simpering and so, so weak, but he can’t bring himself to stay quiet.

            “Of course.” Ladybug glances around and points to the digital clock beside his bed. “I’ll come by tomorrow at noon, okay?”

            He can’t stop himself from asking. “Hugs?”

            She’s caught so off-guard that she giggles. “Hugs,” she confirms.

**Author's Note:**

> my tumblr - mcschnuggles.tumblr.com  
> the official regressuary tumblr - regressuary.tumblr.com


End file.
